Jay Phelps joins the Festival of Chichester

Chichester Jazz Club contributes to the Festival of Chichester with a visit from Jay Phelps on June 18.

Spokeswoman Melissa Hauffe said: “It promises to be very special gig.”

The venue is the Pallant Suite, Freemasons Hall, 7 South Pallant, Chichester when Canadian-born Jay appears with his quintet, featuring himself on trumpet, Jean Toussaint on tenor sax, Rick Simpson on piano, Mark Lewandowski on bass and Shane Forbes on drums.

Melissa said: “Jay arrived in the UK when he was 17 and became a graduate of Trinity College of Music. Following this, he played with the stars of Jazz Jamaica and Tomorrow’s Warriors, which led to him being part of the ground-breaking group Empirical. Since leaving them, he has continued to expand his musical horizons.

“Jay acknowledges his debt to trumpet legends Clifford Brown, Miles Davis and Freddy Hubbard and will on this occasion feature the music of the latter together with some stunning re-arrangements of more familiar material. The talented musicians accompanying Jay, who have all made their own valuable contributions to the British Jazz scene, together with ex-Jazz Messenger Jean Toussaint, make a formidable group.”

Tickets are £12 for non-members, available at the door or from Chichester Tourist Office, 01243 775888 Members £7. Doors 6.30pm, starts 7.45pm.